This invention relates to article supports, and more particularly to article supports adapted to be rapidly adhered and removed from a surface.
Hooks and other article supports are commonly used in both households, institutions, and industry for a variety of purposes such as hanging pictures, towels, garments, tools, calendars, posters and other articles. Conventional hooks often require forming holes in cabinets, walls, or the like as fasteners such as screws or nails are used for attaching them. Alternatively, hooks may be adhered by adhesive tapes, but tapes that have strong holding power are typically difficult to remove cleanly from the wall without scraping or otherwise damaging the surface of the wall.
Coassigned and copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/802,061 entitled, xe2x80x9cRemovable Adhesive Tapexe2x80x9d, and PCT Internation Application No. PCT/US91/09472, to Kreckel et al., disclose a stretch releasing adhesive tape. Those documents are herein expressly incorporated by reference.
Those documents disclose an easily removable, pressure-sensitive adhesive tape comprising a highly extensible, substantially non-recovering backing. The tape is capable of being firmly bonded to a substrate and removed therefrom by being stretched at an angle of no greater than about 35 degrees from the surface of the substrate. A problem associated with this type of tape is that some persons find it difficult to grasp for removal. An uncomfortable amount of finger pressure may be required to grip the tape firmly enough to allow removal.
The present invention advances the field by providing a very convenient way to adhere, and later cleanly remove, article supports to substrates such as walls, windows and cabinetry. Stated generally, the invention can be described as an article support adapted to adhere to a substrate. The article support includes a base member, a stretch release adhesive tape adhered to that base member, and some means for gripping the stretch release adhesive tape. These items are arranged so that when the base member is adhered to the substrate by the stretch release adhesive tape, the base member is capable of being removed from the substrate by gripping the gripping means and stretching the stretch release adhesive tape at an angle no greater than about 35 degrees from the surface of the substrate. The gripping means preferably resists disassociation from the stretch release adhesive tape during the act of removal. In many practical embodiments, the stretch release adhesive tape will be provided with a layer of release liner to protect the adhesive (e.g. from dirt, dust and other matter which will deliteriously affect the adhesive) until the article support is to be used.
The stretch release adhesive tape will have a backing, and at least one layer of adhesive; most commonly it will have two layers of adhesive. The backing may be a singular layer, or it may be two or more layers laminated together as long as the base member is capable of being removed from the substrate by gripping the gripping means and stretching the stretch release adhesive tape at an angle no greater than about 35 degrees from the surface of the substrate.
In one group of embodiments, the above discussed gripping means is a handle, and the stretch release adhesive tape is adhered to the handle around a surface conformed so as to compress at least a portion of the tape during the removal. While many physical arrangements which achieve this are possible, good results are achieved when the stretch release adhesive tape is wrapped around a portion of said handle in such a manner that the stretch release adhesive tape makes a substantially 180 degree bend. A suitable handle may also have features which make it comfortable to grasp with the fingers; for example, a xe2x80x9cD-shapedxe2x80x9d ring with the stretch release adhesive tape wrapped around the flat of the xe2x80x9cDxe2x80x9d shape.
In many of the most convenient embodiments, the base member will be rather generic, suitable for attaching various classes of support member such as hooks, towel racks, picture frame supports, or the like. In these embodiments, the base member will comprise a means for attaching such a support member. Conveniently, such an attaching means may be a pair of complimentary dovetail slides on each of the base member and the support member. Other expedients will suggest themselves to the skilled artisan.
In embodiments which have a means for attaching a support member, it may be convenient to have a means for locking the support member to the base member, either releasably or permanently. Conveniently, a releasable latch may serve as the locking means.
Sometimes it will be convenient to provide an article support such that when the support member is removed from the base member, the gripping means need not be pulled by the fingers, but instead engages the support member as it, for example, slides along a dovetail slide. Then the stretch release adhesive tape is automatically stretched as the support member is pulled so as to remove the base member from the substrate.
As an aid in removal of the stretch release adhesive tape from the substrate, the base member may conveniently have indicia explaining the action involved in removing said base member from the substrate. In those embodiments where the base member has a means for attaching a support member, it may be particularly preferred that such indicia are placed where they are hidden from view when the support member is attached to the base member, but visible when the support member is removed.
In some embodiments of the invention, it may be desirable to have the support member support a substantial amount of weightxe2x80x94more than can be supported by the holding strength of a single base member. This can be accommodated within the definition of the invention by providing a support member that is adapted to engage a plurality of base members that are generally oriented in a single plane simultaneously.
In other embodiments a specialized support member can be provided that is adapted to engage a plurality of base members simultaneously in a way that has the stretch release adhesive tape on the base members oriented in more than one plane. In particular, such a support member can hold two inexpensive, generic base members back-to-back so that e.g. a clock can be adhered to a wall. When desired the stretch release adhesive tape makes it possible to remove the base members cleanly from each substrate, and the object adhered can be taken down temporarily for use or maintenance.
Although for many of the applications which are contemplated for the present invention the base member will be rigid, article supports where the base member is a bendable, but not significantly stretchable film, are also considered within the definition of the invention. Such a construction will be useful for e.g. removable labels.